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Welcome to 'Mr Civil's Blog'! I hope you will visit the blog regularly to keep up to date with news from Highbank Primary School. Regards Mr G Civil

Friday, 15 September 2017

It’s Friday!
Welcome to happy Friday everyone.

This week we’ve
had prisoners of war, guitar strumming and drum playing, booster bananza and a
new staff poetry champion!

120 children
visited Eden Camp in Yorkshire on Monday which used to be a prisoner of war
camp during WW2. Our upper KS2 are studying WW2 and reading ‘The Boy in Striped
Pyjamas’ (such a great book) and this trip fitted it so well. The children got
such a lot from the visit, making links from their learning in school and feeling
what life may have been like for prisoners of war. It was a long day though for
our children; arriving at school at 6:45 a.m. and returning at 7:00 p.m. I know
they were tired but I was so pleased ALL returned bright and early on Tuesday
morning for school.

Music
teaching started in KS2 this week with children playing guitars with our staff
and some from Nottingham City Music Service. It was so tuneful, I went to work
in KS1 especially when the drums began later in the day!!

If working a
long day on Monday wasn’t bad enough, our Y6 children have started their
booster bananza this week. All our Y6 children have committed themselves to
extra lessons either early morning or after school. Well done, children, we
know it’s going to make such a difference and thanks to ALL teachers and support
staff for being involved too. It adds to their workload also. In any case, it’s
a great Team Highbank effort. And yes, even I’ve dusted off my teaching tools!
Furthermore, the Grammar King has come back! (That’s me.) I’m working with Y6
most afternoons boosting glorious grammar-I love grammar, I can’t get enough of
it!

Yesterday,
we began our poetry assemblies. The first one of each year is the staff poetry
assembly. Former winners are Miss Ishmael, Me and Mr Morledge. On the staff
this year, we had three newbies to poetry assembly: Mr Barnham (he joined us in
April), Mrs Norton and Miss Lewis, who is covering Mr Lovell’s. After a tense
and dramatic contest, the two judges from Y6 announce that Miss Lewis came third,
Mr Barnham came second and Mrs Norton won! Far too much leeway given to new
staff in my opinion!!

Next week,
swimming and music continues but so much more:

·Mrs Barnham is due to have her baby on Wednesday
so Mr Barnham will be away for a short time. Mr Bennet is with us (he’s the
very tall man) and will continue until Mr Barnham returns. How things have
changed; in my day when people had a baby, they were given an aspirin and told
to go back to work! We are very excited for Mr and Mrs Barnham though and hope
all goes well.

·Mr Chaloner, Headteacher from Farnborough, is
coming in to speak to our Y5 and Y6 children. Farnborough are holding an open
evening on Thursday 21st September beginning at 5:45 p.m.

·My Mother is going to Scotland for a week which
means I get some respite! Dear old mum.

·Lilian Greenwood, M.P. is launching her
Christmas Card competition from here next Friday afternoon. It will be good to
see her again. She is a friend of the school.

·We shall be starting a new communication App for
parents but more details will come out next week.

In other
news, we’ve gone panto crazy! A performance of Beauty and the Beast will be
coming to Highbank in October and one
class is going out to see Cinderalla. (“Oh no they’re not!”)

Finally, my
watch broke this week at school. I went into a shop to buy another one.